Burda Wave Dress and Kimono Jacket

I've been a Burda magazine subscriber for over a dozen years now.  If you're not familiar with Burda, it's a sewing pattern magazine published in Germany.  Sometimes their designs seem a little wacky at first (and I'm the queen of wearing wacky things, so I can say that).  But, after a few years they start to grow on you, and before you know it, you wonder why you waited so long to make some of them! 

That's the case with this dress from the May 2012 issue of Burda magazine, design #107.  It was so memorable, that it was always in the back of my mind for when I found the right fabric.

Here is their version:

And here is mine:

 I used two colors of 100% linen from Fabric Mart.   I didn't originally intend to mix them, but when I got my package, I thought that the colors looked really good together!  This was a technically challenging dress because I had to do a full bust adjustment, which with that wacky front was a real headscratcher.  I had to do two muslins to get it right, and then sewing those curves- aaaacckk!  But I do think it turned out pretty cool.  Yes, it is wrinkly.  Linen is just that way.  I don't mind it because it is just so comfortable!  I love wearing linen so much that I can live with the wrinkles.  Ponte would be a great choice for those who hate wrinkles but want to try color blocking.



I lowered the neckline 2" and eliminated the zipper because I could pull it over my head.  I also used bias binding instead of facings on the neckline.  The dress has pockets, but they are placed abnormally low- probably because when they designed it with the zipper, the pockets would have needed to be below the end of the zipper.   I would definitely move them up if I make it again.

Because it's fall, and you never know what the temperature is going to be, I also wanted to make a jacket.  I wanted something flowy and organic in shape to go with the dress design.  I decided on this kimono style jacket, Simplicity 8172.  This is a fabulous jacket, and super easy to sew, which was a blessing after sewing the dress!

Here it is from the back:

I looked in my closet for some other things to wear this jacket with, and lo and behold, the thing that it looked best with was the Scout Tee that I had made back in 2014 for Fabric Mart's Fashion Challenge! This was a top that I made from second hand sari pieces.

I was thrilled with how well these two pieces work together!  I accented the waist seam with a piece of gold sequinned trim.

I had ordered 2-1/2 yards of each color, and with judicious use of the fabric, I had enough fabric to make one more top.  I decided on a tunic with the majority being the blue linen, and using the fawn as the contrast.

For this one, I used Vogue 8533.  This is an older pattern, but there are tons of similar tunic top patterns out there. 

I used another beaded trim to highlight the seam line.  My neighbor, who was following my progress, said that the trim was like icing on a cake- the tunic by itself was good, like plain chocolate cake, but with the trim, it was like chocolate frosting on it- making it great.  I love that analogy!

These pants are made from ITY knit and an elastic waist pants pattern.  I made them several years ago, and loved them, but, honestly, they languished in the closet for lack of the right top to wear with them.  I think I've found it now!!!  I really like this combo.  And it's perfect for the transitional weather that we have in October.

So, this was a fun exercise in creativity as well as sharpening up my technical skills!  Have you ever tried color blocking?  Do you ever use beaded trims?  Have you ever waited for years knowing that eventually you would make a certain pattern?

Happy Sewing!

Ann